Vibratory conveyor with inversion diverter



Sept. 21,1965 '7 R. c. WHITE 3,207,293

VIBRATORY CONVEYOR WITH INVERSION DIVERTER Filed Nov. 5, 1962 INVENTOR Roaawr c. W/I/TA BYM W; M

ATTORNEY-5' United States Patent 3,207,293 VIBRATORY CONVEYOR WITH INVERSION DIVERTER Robert C. White, 26000 Capitol Ave., Detroit, Mich. Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,479 Claims. (Cl. 198-220) This invention relates to an apparatus for the treating of articles of manufacture with a solvent fluid in the form of liquid or vapor or any cleaning liquid material in the form of degreasing solvent or a detergent solution.

In the manufacture of various types of articles and particularly metal parts, it is frequently necessary to thoroughly clean the parts to remove lubricants or oily substances before the parts are assembled or shipped. Devices for accomplishing this cleaning operation are disclosed in the United States patent to Jones, Re. 24,281, dated February 26, 1957. Briefly, this Jones patent illustrates a container for degreasing solvents which has within its walls a spiral vibratory conveyor which carries parts through a liquid or vapor to a point outside the apparatus where they can be collected for further assembly or shipment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is especially adapted to handle parts having hollow pockets or recesses which tend to collect cleaning liquid. Any cup-like part or other part with a blind hole or pocket has been a problem in this type of cleaning apparatus because the parts carry out cleaning liquid and thus when they leave the machine, they are not dry. The result is also a loss of the liquid which is an added expense to the operation. In addition, the pockets may collect chips, dirt or particles in certain machining operations and these must be removed as a part of the cleaning operation.

Various attempts to invert parts by utilizing steps in a spiral track and the like have not been completely successful. In the present invention, it is an object to provide a device which is optionally included in the path of the parts as they progress through an apparatus, this device being such that the parts can all be clearly turned over and dumped thoroughly prior to their return to the vibratory track. This is of particular importance when the parts are moving from one process to another since it prevents mixing and pollution of the various treating liquids.

Other objects and features of the invention relating to details of construction and operation will be apparent in the following description and claims.

Drawings accompany the disclosure and the various views thereof may be briefly described as:

FIGURE 1, a sectional view of an apparatus assembly showing the relationship of the parts of the combination.

FIGURE 2, a sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3, a sectional view on line 33 of FIG- URE 2.

Referring to the drawings:

In FIGURE 1, a main tank 20 contains at the top a supporting bracket 22 which supports a vibratory mechanism 24. In this case the mechanism illustrated diagrammatically is an electro-vibratory mechanism and suspended on this mechanism is a column 26 carrying a spiral track 28. This spiral track receives articles from a conveyor 30 which deposits the article into a chute 32 leading to the entrance to the vibratory track 28. The track terminates at a tangential run 34 which dumps on to a conveyor 36. A bottom wall 40 is provided to seal the tank so that it may contain a cleaning fluid or detergent solution.

In some cases it may be desirable to heat the track in which case a steam or hot-air jacket (not shown) is provided and steam can be introduced to this jacket 3,207,293 Patented Sept. 21, 1965 through a pipe 42 with an exit run 44. In the case of solvent wherein vapors tend to overlie the liquid level of the solvent, a condenser unit 46 is sometimes used to create a condensing zone so that the solvent will not rise in the tank and escape. For further disclosure of conveyors and cleaning devices of this general nature, reference may be had to the Jones Re. 24,281, above referred to, and also to the United States patent to White 3,024,133, dated March 6, 1962.

In order to insure that the parts which enter the vibratory track are inverted, in the case of cup-like parts and other parts which have hollow liquid retaining portions, a detour diversion track 50 is provided at one side of the circular vibratory conveyor as shown best in FIGURE 2.

On the opposite side of the conveyor a return track 60 at a higher level than track 50 is provided, track 50 having an exit trough 52 and track 60 having a receiving trough 62. Between these two troughs is a rotating barrel 70 mount-ed at an angle on an axle bar 72 which is journalled in a bracket 74 at its upper end and which is driven by a small motor 76 at its lower end with a suitable coupling 78. Motor 76 is mounted on a bracket 79 on the wall of housing 20. The motor could also be mounted outside the housing. The drum 70 is provided with two spider hubs 80 and 82 at each end and also with an interior spiral track 84 leading from one end of the drum to the other. Lugs 86 positioned adjacent the spiral track tend to insure a lifting and dumping of the parts as they move through the drum.

The spiral track 28 has an outside retaining wall 90 and also an inside wall 92 which stands vertically upward from the track to retain the parts as they move in a spiral path upwardly along the track. The diversion track 50 and the return track 60 also have retaining walls on each side which are a continuation of the walls 90 on the outside, and a small switch wall 94, pivoted at 96, is provided adjacent the track 50. Likewise, a switch Wall 98 is pivoted at to open or block the re-entrant track 60.

Thus, the vibratory conveyor can be used in a standard way when both of the switch walls 94 and 98 are in the circumferential position shown in dotted lines in FIG- URE 2.

If it is desirable to run the parts through the dumping barrel to insure that all cavities are free of any liquid or foreign particles, the switch walls 94 and 98 are moved to the full line position shown in FIGURE 2. The parts are then diverted to the diversion track 50 where they will dump into the angled conveyor 70 and be spiraled up to the trough 62 of the re-entrant track 60, During this spiral motion, the parts will be dumped over and over again in a tumbling action so that there is no chance that any liquid containing pocket could remain upright through this portion of the travel. As the parts are again returned to the spiral track, they can then be thoroughly dried by the supplied heat and will exit to the conveyor 36 in a clean and dry condition.

If a conveyor is desired for constant use with cavitated parts, the dumping drum can be installed directly in the track without tangential diversion runs. It will thus be seen that I have disclosed a method and apparatus for incremental conveyance of small parts with a special handling during a short travel in the path of movement which insures inversion and dumping of any treating liquid accidentally entrapped.

1 claim:

1. In a vibratory conveyor for treatment of fungible parts of the type including:

(a) a support,

(b) a spiral track on said support,

(0) means to impart an incremental motion to said track to effect conveyance of articles placed thereon,

(d) an improvement which comprises a rotating drum positioned adjacent a run of said track,

(e) means in said drum to cause multiple inversion of parts and a motion of said parts from one end of said drum to the other, and

(f) egress and ingress diversion runs selectively accessible to carry parts to one end of said drum from said track and to said track from the other end of said drum.

2. In a vibratory conveyor for treatment of fungible parts of the type including:

(a) a support,

(b) a spiral track on said support,

(c) means to impart an incremental motion to said track to effect conveyance of articles placed thereon,

(d) an improvement which comprises a tumbling means to cause multiple inversion of parts, said means having an entrance and an exit, and

(e) track diversion means to carry parts from one portion of said track to the entrance of said tumbling means, and from the exist of said tumbling means again to said track whereby parts may progress continuously through said track and tumbling means.

3. In a vibratory conveyor for treatment of fungible parts of the type including:

(a) a support,

(b) a spiral track on said support,

(c) means to impart an incremental motion to said track to effect conveyance of articles placed thereon,

(d) an improvement which comprises a pair of diversion tracks extending tangentially from opposite sides of said spiral conveyor having opposed openings,

(e) a cylindrical drum open at each end having its respective ends positioned to register with said opposed openings,

(f) means to mount and rotate said drum in said position, and

(g) means within said drum to cause a tumbling action of parts received thereby and a movement of parts from one end to the other, whereby parts will be dumped repeatedly in said drum while passing continuously through said conveyor.

4. In a vibratory conveyor for treatment of fungible parts of the type including:

(a) a support,

(b) a spiral track on said support,

(c) means to. impart an incremental motion to said track to effect conveyance of articles placed thereon, said track being interrupted between spaced points,

(d) an improvement which comprises a rotating drum mounted between said spaced points in said track having a receiving end and a discharge end,

(e) means in said drum to cause tumbling of parts introduced therein from said track, and

(f) means in said drum to cause motion of parts introduced therein from the receiving end to the discharge end whereby parts may pass along said track and through said drum in a continuous motion.

5. In a vibratory conveyor for treatment of fungible parts of the type including:

(a) a support,

(b) a spiral track on said support,

(c) means to impart an incremental motion to said track to effect conveyance of articles placed thereon,

(d) an improvement which comprises a tumbling means to cause multiple inversion of parts, said means having an entrance and an exit, said means being interposed in said track to receive parts from said track at its entrance and discharge parts to said track at its exit, wherein parts may travel continuously along said track and tumbling means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner;

MORRIS O. WOLK, Examiner. 

1. IN A VIBRATORY CONVEYOR FOR TREATMENT OF FUNGIBLE PARTS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING: (A) A SUPPORT, (B) A SPIRAL TRACK ON SAID SUPPORT, (C) MEANS TO IMPART AN INCREMENTAL MOTION TO SAID TRACK TO EFFECT CONVEYANCE OF ARTICLES PLACED THEREON, (D) AN IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A ROTATING DRUM POSITIONED ADJACENT A RUN OF SAID TRACK, (E) MEANS IN SAID DRUM TO CAUSE MULTIPLE INVERSION OF PARTS AND A MOTION OF SAID PARTS FROM ONE END OF SAID DRUM TO THE OTHER, AND (F) EGRESS AND INGRESS DIVERSION RUNS SELECTIVELY ACCESSIBLE TO CARRY PARTS TO ONE END OF SAID DRUM FROM SAID TRACK AND TO SAID TRACK FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID DRUM. 